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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27452938">Trouble For Nobility</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Navi01/pseuds/Navi01'>Navi01</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Trouble For Nobility [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Backstory, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Day of School</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:34:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,180</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27452938</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Navi01/pseuds/Navi01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Its the day before classes at Garreg Mach. Dorothea is feeling overwhelmed, being the only commoner in her class. That night, she meets Petra, another girl feeling out of place at the school.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Trouble For Nobility [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2005765</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Trouble For Nobility</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Orientation was a nightmare. Or it was, at least for Dorothea. Upon her arrival, a man in navy and silver robes introduced himself as Seteth. His green hair framed his face in a cold way, perfectly matching his stern expression.  <br/>	“Are you here for the Officers Academy, or for the Monastery?”<br/>	“Officers Academy. I’m Dorothea? Arnault?” The man - Seteth - pulled a sheet of paper out of one of the folds in his outfit. It was perfectly flat, with no wrinkles whatsoever, despite being shoved in his pockets. <br/>	“Ah, yes. Miss Arnault, of the Adrestian Empire, correct?”<br/>	“Mhm,” she said quietly. <br/>	“Black Eagles, then. Here's the key to your room. You will be summoned for dinner this evening, where you will meet your classmates.” The Empire’s main export is snooty nobles, she prayed silently to a goddess she barely believed in. Please don't let it be the same here.<br/>	“Thank you.” Though she stood next to him, Seteth didn't seem to hear, as he had already moved on to the monk behind her. <br/>The dormitories, which, like most things, were based on social standing. Nobles on the top floor, commoners on the bottom. “Just like home,” Dorothea mumbled as she unlocked the door. The room was large in her standards. It contained a wooden desk, shelf, and bed, with matching red bedding and carpet. After arranging her few items from home in the room, she gingerly sat on the bed. It was firm, but still had more squish than one would expect from a hay mattress. She reached over to the shelf where she left her song book. Carefully, Dorothea flipped the worn pages until settling on her favourite. It was the first song she had learned, back when the Mittelfrank Opera House first took her off the streets. The songstress hummed the tune quietly, letting the nostalgia take over. <br/>All too soon, there was a knock on the door alerting her that it was time for dinner. Sighing, Dorothea put the book back and fluffed out her hair quickly, preparing to meet her class for the first time. <br/>Five people waited outside of the dorm block for her, including the one person Dorothea couldn't wait to see.<br/>“Manuela!” Dorothea squealed as she ran into the legends arms. The professor received her with equal excitement, pulling her close. <br/>“Well, if it isn't the Mystical Songstress herself.” They hugged for a moment, oblivious to the other students awkward stares. Remembering where they were, Manuela released the girl, straightening her dress professionally. “Oh, umm... Come along, students,” she said, beginning to walk towards the dining hall. The others followed, still unsure of what just happened. Dorothea ran up to Manuela’s side, eager to see her idol and mentor again. <br/>“I’m so happy to see you again, Ma- Er, Professor.” <br/>“Oh hush with that. Professor makes me feel ancient. Please just call me by my name,” she smiled at her. “And I still can't believe you got here. Spots in the Empire are sold at high prices.”<br/>“Well, as you know, a woman never tells.” Dorothea batted her lashes. In reality, the girl had to sleep and seduce her way to the top. She wasn't exactly proud of it, but it was a means to an end. She was here to find a rich man to take care of her. It seemed shallow, but years ago Dorothea swore to herself that she would claw her way out of poverty, whatever it took. <br/>Moments later, they reached the dining hall; it was fairly close to the dorms. The large doors opened to a long and low room, filled with the overwhelming scent of meat and herbs. Three large banners were hung above a long table, each one with a house insignia and country colours. Dorothea took her place under the red and black one, with the depiction of a two headed eagle on it representing the Empire. Three of the others in her dorm block took their place with her under the Black Eagle banner, while one orange haired girl squealed as she ran to her friend at the Blue Lions table. <br/>They were among the first to arrive at the dining hall, and the first to be seated in their class. The four students found their place behind pieces of paper with their name on it. Dorothea found at the far end of the table, with only a small girl with messy purple hair beside her. The card in front of her read “Bernadetta”. Taking a deep breath in, Dorothea turned to speak. <br/>“Hi. I'm Dorothea. You’re Bernadetta, right?” Bernadetta froze, looking down at the empty table. She muttered something barely audible, forcing Dorothea to lean in. “Sorry? I didn't catch that.” Bernadetta whipped her head around, starling the singer and everyone else at the table. <br/>“H-how did you k-know that? Are you s-stalking me or something?” The volume of her voice reached the other two people at the table. There was a green haired boy who was reading a book instead of watching this spectacle, and a girl with magenta hair and uncommonly dark skin for the Empire. She was watching them, but her head was cocked and she looked confused. Dorothea was more focused on the matter at hand, however, and not being accused of stalking on the first day. <br/>“What? No! Of course not! Your name is right there!” Dorothea pointed to the card. Bernadettas eyes widened, realizing her mistake, before tearing up and moving to leave. <br/>“S-sorry. You probably h-hate me now…” Suddenly feeling bad for snapping, Dorothea grabbed the girl's arm, pulling her back into her seat. <br/>“I don't hate you. I was out of line, and I shouldn't have lashed out like that.” Bernadetta nodded, but still wouldn't look her in the eye. “Why don't we start over?”<br/>“S-start over?”<br/>“Yep. The last five minutes never happened. I'll go first. Hi. I'm Dorothea. What's your name?” Bernadetta perked up a bit at the idea, nodding her head slowly. <br/>“I-I’m, umm, Bernadetta.”<br/>“Well, it's lovely to meet you.” As Dorothea said this as the remaining Black Eagle students took their seats. Dorothea wasn't expecting to know any other students in her class,  save Lady Edelgard. Everyone knew who Lady Edelgard was. The person sitting across from her, however, was incredibly familiar. Instantly, Dorothea was taken back to a day she had blocked out. As she bathed in the fountain, this orange haired boy looked at her with pure disgust. Returning to the present, she looked at him, mouth slightly ajar, as he seated himself. After a moment, he looked back at her, with not a hint of recognition on his face. <br/>“Hello. I am Ferderdinand Von Aegir, son of Duke Aegir. You are?” She still couldn't believe what was happening, not really. After a beat of awkward silence, she remembered he had asked her a question. <br/>“Er, I’m Dorothea.” <br/>“A lovely name for a lovely woman.” As this small talk continued, a pool of rage filled Dorothea's stomach. If he doesn't remember me, she thought, then how many others has he pushed down without a second glance? <br/>Finally, after far too much chatter, dinner was served. It was easily one of the nicest meals Dorothea had eaten, but she was sure it wouldn't meet some of her classmates standards. The dinner consisted of a fried herring and some sort of soup, though Dorothea was unsure of the ingredients. Almost all of her fellow Black Eagles ate in a very noble like fashion, confirming her suspicion that she was the only commoner. The one exception was the girl from before, with the magenta hair and mark under her eye. She clearly was well versed in high society, based on the way she held herself and ate, but before each bite she inspected the food. Dorothea was perplexed by this, but decidedly did not stare. <br/>____________________________________________________________________________</p><p>After the plates were emptied and taken away, the students were instructed to return to their dorms for the night. They left freely, no longer having teachers walk them too and from the rooms. Dorothea traveled at a leisurely pace. She would have liked more time in the fresh air, but the distance was too short for anything longer than two minutes. She opened the door, still not used to her new residence. This was by far the nicest place she had lived. At the opera house, she shared a small room with three other performers. Before that, she was in and out of orphanages, always being in close quarters with other people. Despite being pleased to have her own bed for the first time, it still felt wrong to have all this space to herself. <br/>Sighing, Dorothea prepared herself for the night, changing into a long, shapeless nightgown she had bought from home. It was incredibly thin, but soft from the years of wear. Dorothea blew out the dim candle illuminating the room and crawled into her bed, ready for sleep to overtake her. The hay mattress crunched and shifted under her weight, until finally settling in a comfortable formation. She lay there, feeling the pattern of her heart beat and breath create a simple pattern together. Occasionally, she heard soft footsteps above her, but other than that there was only silence. Minutes passed, dragging on to feel like hours as Dorothea stared into the blackness around her. <br/>After what seemed like an eternity of consciousness, she finally sat up, dragging her feet to the side of the bed. “Screw this,” Dorothea mumbled, standing up. By now, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and she could see the outlines of objects around her. She stumbled to the door, hoping that some fresh air would clear her head. There was no way she’d be yawning through her first classes tomorrow. <br/>The wooden door opened smoothly; it had clearly been oiled recently. Cool night air blew softly into the room, gently moving Dorothea's chocolate coloured hair. She stepped out and felt the smooth stone on her feet. After closing the door behind her, the songstress leaned against it, slowly sinking to the ground and pulling her knees to her chest. The moon illuminated the school, putting a silver tint on the buildings. Looking up, Dorothea saw the most beautiful night sky she had ever seen. Enbarr was too crowded, too loud. Here, the open sky was filled with glimmering pin points, each part of something bigger than themselves. <br/>Dorothea's eyes began to tear as she stared at the constellations. Her problems seemed so big right now - being alone, being a commoner - but this reminded her how small she was. Her and her problems. <br/>Lost in thought, Dorothea sat there for a moment before she heard the sniffing. It was quiet; she barely heard it over the rustle of the trees. She wiped away the salty water on her cheeks and stood back up, leaning on the door heavily for support. The sound was coming from the room beside Dorothea's. From the outside it looked the same, as all the doors did, and the girl racked her brain trying to remember who stayed there. Though she was drawing a blank on the name and face of this person, curiosity got the best of her and she decided to move closer. <br/>Light seeped through the crack below the wooden door, flickering as a candle would. The whimpering continued, leaving Dorothea at a crossroads. On one hand, she could return to her room, eventually fall asleep, and show up for class bright eyed and bushy tailed. On the other, she could check if this person was okay. If worse came to worst here, she would be back on plan A. Finally, after making up her mind, Dorothea knocked on the door gently. The sound coming from inside continued, forcing her to knock louder for attention. The second rapping at the door was met with silence, then footsteps as the person approached the wood between them. <br/>“Hel-hello?” The voice was melodic, and Dorothea never would have guessed that the person behind it had been crying moments before. It carried a thick accent with it, one that the songstress had only heard on rare occasions. Dagda, or possibly Brigid, she thought. But what would someone from there be doing here? <br/>Remembering the voice was waiting for a response, Dorothea spoke quietly. “I heard… something,” she said, unsure if she should reveal how much she was listening. “Are you okay?” <br/>“I am the- I am good. Thank you.” The voice stumbled over some sounds, making the sentence feel jumbled. <br/>“Are you sure? I’m just next door, and I’m always willing to lend an ear.” Silence followed, before the person responded slowly.<br/>“Lending… an ear?” <br/>“Yeah, just if you need someone to talk to. I find that it always feels better after I’ve vented my feelings to someone else. Just, y’know, to get it all out there.”<br/>“Vent…?” <br/>“Uh, yeah…” This was going nowhere. “Listen, if you don't want me here, that's fi-”<br/>“No!” The voice sounded desperate. The wooden door opened slowly, finally revealing the other half of the conversation. Dorothea recognized her instantly from the dining hall. The girl's long plum hair and matching mark beneath her eye seemed to shine in the moonlight. Her hair was tied in intricate braids in a way Dorothea had never seen before, seeming to spin around and turn in on itself. Dorothea looked into the girls eyes, finally noticing the wet lashes and red eyes. “Pl...please stay,” her voice sounded despite, even as she worked through the words. Dorothea nodded reassuringly, and the two moved into the room, closing the door behind them. <br/>It looked similar to Dorothea's, as she was sure all the rooms did. The red carpet and bedding matched her own, though it looked more like a shade of blood due to the darkness. In terms of personal items, she had next to none; the one exception being a small box on a shelf. It had designs unlike anything common in Fodlan, with animals delicately etched between them. <br/>The magenta haired girl sat against the bed, with the lone candle beside her. It casted shadows on the walls, jumping and flickering in an orange hue. Unsure what to do next, the songstress moved to sit across from her, leaning against a wooden dresser on the other side of the room. <br/>After a tense moment of avoiding eye contact, the girl looked up at Dorothea. “I… apologies. If you are… are wanting, you can… be leaving,” her voice finally cracked, sounding completely different than it had before.<br/>Dorothea was surprised by this. Only moments ago, this girl had been so despite. The sudden pivot left Dorothea speechless for a moment. “Oh. Well, what I really want is to help you. But if you want me to go… can I at least get your name?”<br/>“Get… my name?” Her accent was thick, reminding Dorothea that she must be new to the Fodlan language. <br/>“What is your name?” She made sure to enunciate each word clearly. <br/>“I am called Petra,” she said. She seemed to be calming down now, and was becoming more comfortable with every passing moment. “What are you being called?”<br/>“Dorothea.” Their voices stayed low as to not wake anyone else, but they were becoming more confident.<br/>“Dorothea…” Petra mumbled to herself, testing the name in her mouth. Orange light continued to flick around them, casting dancing shadows. Dorothea leaned closer to Petra, chocolate hair falling in front of her eyes. <br/>“If you want me to go, I will. But… really, I’d like to stay if that's okay.” Her voice was soft and unsure; a drastic contrast from her usual confidence. Petra nodded slowly, and Dorothea sank back against the wooden dresser. “I, umm, saw you at dinner today.” Petra looked confused for a moment before her eyes widened and she nodded again. <br/>“Yes, the food was much- er, very good.” <br/>“Mhm,” Dorothea hummed in agreement. “I haven't had a good fish like that in a long time. What about you?” The girl perplexed Dorothea immensely, though she didn't want to dump too many questions on her at once. <br/>“I used to be eating fish for many days,” she said, smiling fondly at the memory. “They were… unlike the ones here.” She struggled for the words occasionally, but Dorothea was incredibly impressed with her skills. <br/>“Where was that? Where did you grow up?” She asked the question lightly, still keeping her voice to a relative hush. <br/>“My home? I was… being born in Bridgid.” All of a sudden her eyes began to shine with tears again, reflecting off the candle. Petra looked down, wiping her eyes. Dorothea crawled over to her side, heart hurting as this girl she barely knew cried. <br/>“I’m sorry, Petra,” Dorothea whispers as she rubbed her back trying to calm her. Her skin was warm from sitting next to the fire for hours, in great contrast to Dorothea's cold hands. Despite this, neither of the girls made any move to draw away. Instead, Petra seemed to slowly sink into Dorothea's body, until eventually her head rested on the singer's lap. Throughout this, Dorothea continued to sooth her, until Petra stopped crying. They both remained awake, though sleep gnawed at their eyes. After a minute of being in each other's presence, Dorothea began to speak again, this time very quietly. <br/>“I don't belong here, either.” At this, Petra looked up at her, eyes red from crying. “I was never destined for greatness, or even for this. But I worked, and clawed my way here.” As she spoke, she looked straight ahead, seeming to talk more to herself than Petra. “I’m not proud of what I had to do, but the rest of my life rides on this year. If I can't find someone rich to marry, I'll be back where I started. I can't go back. I was dying. But then… then I found Mittlefrank. They liked me there - they saw worth beyond class. But, of course, it was all a matter of time. In a few years, I won't have this face, or this voice, and they'll throw me out and find someone younger instead. They probably replaced someone else with me back then. <br/>“No one cares, here. If you weren't born to the right family, or you don't serve a purpose anymore, they throw you out like you're nothing. Eventually, you'll start to believe them. But… it's just not true.” Dorothea looked down at Petra for the first time. “I don't know what brought you here, but I know you're like me. I can tell. We’re both trouble for the nobility.” She smiled at the thought, and Petra joined her. They stayed like that, together on the floor, falling asleep within minutes. <br/>The candle beside them flickered it's dying glimpses of light as it succumbed to a pool of melted wax, drenching the room in darkness. It didn't matter, though, as the two girls were far away, taking down the systems hand in hand.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading!! It means so, so, SO much to me …..φ(・∀・＊) </p><p>If you liked this keep an eye out - this might turn into a DoroPetra antics series o(≧∇≦o)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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